Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to Laird's budget, taxes and council decisions. A small township in the Algoma District of northern Ontario, with a mayor and four councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
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Questions worth asking
Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.
+60%running the town office, 2019 to 2025
Laird spent $329K on running the town office in 2019 and $528K in 2025. Prices only went up about 21% in that time. Only 2 of 30 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
$421Kowed in unpaid property tax, end of 2025
At the end of 2025, $421K of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 18% of everything billed. Only 2 of 30 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $330K.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$132,650fire services agreement for 2026, against $74,100 spent in 2025
Laird does not run its own fire department. A staff memo says the township contracts its fire services from Echo Bay. The 2025 cost of the fire services agreement was $74,100. The 2026 budget set aside $150,000 for it, and a budget note in June 2026 says the new agreement "came in at $132,650". That is about $58,550 more than 2025 (worked out by us). Council discussed legal advice about the agreement in a closed session on May 21, 2026, then voted in public to have the Mayor and staff sign it. We did not find the agreement or a staff report on why the price changed.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$141,660landfill closure reserve at the end of 2025, down from $306,775, against a closure liability of $1,928,540
The township owns one landfill. The audited statements record a promise to pay for closing it and caring for the site afterward, which they put at $1,928,540. Council keeps a reserve (money set aside for a future cost) for this. That reserve stood at $306,775 at the end of 2024 and $141,660 at the end of 2025, a fall of $165,115 (worked out by us). The 2025 budget and the 2026 budget both show a planned transfer of $20,830 into it. In the same year the reserve for general and administrative use grew from $1,069,217 to $1,313,588. We did not find a council decision or note that explains where the landfill money went.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$47,000projected for the fairgrounds septic study, against a 2026 budget of $20,000
In 2025 the province's environment ministry inspected the sewage systems at the Fairgrounds and Racetrack. The township now has to apply for an approval from the ministry, so it hired engineers. The 2026 budget set aside $20,000 for the "ECA Study for Septic". The July 2026 variance report projects $47,000 for that line, which is $27,000 over. On June 18, 2026 Council approved $17,000 for detailed design and soil testing and $27,150 for a groundwater study, and approved "a budget overage" to be paid from general reserves. The engineers' own price list says it leaves out cost estimates, so we found no estimate for the tanks, pumps and field upgrades that the design calls for.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
+207%water, sewers and garbage, 2019 to 2025
Laird spent $37,072 on water, sewers and garbage in 2019 and $114K in 2025. Prices only went up about 21% in that time.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$421,077taxes receivable at the end of 2025, up from $330,182
Taxes receivable are property taxes billed but not yet paid. They were $330,182 at the end of 2024 and $421,077 at the end of 2025. The audited statements say about 42% of that total is owed on one account, and that Council and management are working on payment plans. The township's tax reserve is $50,000. In April 2026 staff told Council that the largest account was on a payment plan and the second largest had given post-dated cheques until June. A March 2026 staff report counted 30 properties two or more years behind, with 18 on payment plans and 4 in tax registration. We did not find an update after June.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$113,046investment income in 2025, against a budget of $54,000
The township holds $1,026,803 in one managed investment account. Income in 2025 was well above the $54,000 budgeted. A staff report to Council explains that most of the gain was an increase in market value that had not been sold, not interest. The 2026 budget cuts the line to $30,000. About two-thirds of the account is in securities and mutual funds, which can fall as well as rise. The staff report says its purpose is to confirm compliance with the township's investment policy; we did not find the policy among the pages we read.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$502,819provincial grants in 2025, down from $867,449 in 2024
Provincial grants were the township's second-largest source of income after taxes. They fell by $364,630 from 2024 to 2025 (worked out by us). The 2025 budget had already expected a drop to $554,779, so this was planned, and actual grants came in $51,960 below budget (worked out by us). We did not find a note that says which grants made 2024 so high.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source
$248,665annual surplus for 2025, against a budgeted $203,178; the 2026 levy rose 3.5%
The levy is the part of property taxes the township collects for its own services. Council set the 2026 levy at $2,083,088, up 3.5%. The audited statements show an annual surplus of $248,665 for 2025, above the $203,178 the budget showed, after $712,701 in 2024. The statements explain that the budget is built a different way from the statements: it leaves out amortization (the yearly wear on buildings and roads, $382,401) and counts capital spending ($450,026) as a cost. So the statements' surplus is not spare cash. Council also told staff in January 2026 to plan to finish surface treatment on the township's roads within three years, which costs money. The 2026 budget carries forward $187,358 as "Audited Surplus from Prior Year"; we could not tie that figure to the statements.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
A property tax bill in Laird pays for the town and schools. Only part of it goes to the town, and that part is what Laird council controls.
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Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.
We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.
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